'Indispensable public service': Report shows Houston's public transit's importance during the pandemic

A new report released from Texas Southern University suggested that even though use rates for public transportation in Houston have decreased, it was a key factor in helping people get to work while restrictions were imposed under COVID-19.

While the report shows that usage of public transportation in Houston declined during the pandemic, it still served the essential function of getting essential employees to work throughout the city. Overall ridership has decreased an estimated 40%, according to Houston Public Media. 

“Public transit is an indispensable public service,” said Harrison Humphreys, transportation program manager at Air Alliance Houston and lead author of the study, in a statement to Houston Public Media. “Yet, at the local, state and federal level, we chronically underfund it.”

The report also identified that communities that house a greater number of essential workers did not decrease their usage of public transportation during the pandemic.

“Metro must continue to restore service and equitably implement its Moving Forward Plan as the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the vital role public transit plays in the economic vitality of our region,” said Ashley Johnson, director of community affairs at LINK Houston and a study co-author, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

Those behind the report use its findings to argue for an increase in funding for public transportation in Houston, according to Houston Public Media.